Bomb squad searching vans near U.S. air base in Britain as five men arrested on terror charge

( NBC )

British police arrested several men on suspicion of terror and explosives offenses on Sunday and evacuated homes near an air base that the U.S. Air Force had been using to facilitate strikes on Iran.

A major incident was declared, with a massive emergency presence seen around RAF Fairford, which is about 90 minutes outside London, close to the village of Whelford in west England.

The Gloucestershire police force said it responded in the early hours of Sunday to reports of three suspicious vehicles moving toward the base, and arrested five men “on suspicion of committing offenses under the Explosives Act.” They were later further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

Police did not provide further details on the men, who remain in custody, or what they were suspected to have done. “Work to establish the full nature of this incident is ongoing,” a police spokesperson said.

The force said 85 homes across the local area were evacuated and a 440-yard cordon put in place while an Army ordnance disposal team examines the vehicles.

Helicopter footage from Sky News showed multiple white vans close to the base seemingly being searched by a bomb disposal robot.

Julian Tudsbery, who has lived in Whelford for 30 years, told Britain’s Press Association another resident had reported three suspicious vans in the village. Along with other residents, Tudsbery has since been evacuated to a nearby recreation center.

The Reuters news agency had reported that security measures at the air ‌base have been significantly increased in recent ‌days. A spokesperson for the U.S. ‌Air Force told the agency they would not discuss specific force protection measures.

“The 501st Combat Support Wing and our fellow ⁠UK-based Wings remain vigilant and ⁠will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security ‌of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families,” the spokesperson ‌said, ahead of the police statement.

“We constantly assess ⁠a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families,” they added.

The British government said Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being updated about the incident, adding “it would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing.”

In March this year, Burnham’s predecessor Keir Starmer gave permission for the U.S. to use its bases for “specific and limited defensive” operations against Iran.

In July, Iran’s ⁠Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Britain that “any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target,” Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported, citing bomber aircraft flights from Fairford.

At the time, a British government spokesperson said that the country was “ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it’s on our soil or from abroad.”

Roz Savage, the local member of Parliament, thanked police for their response to “worrying scenes just outside the RAF Fairford base,” while British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said in a post on X: “We can be reassured that this is being dealt with and it is exactly why our emergency response teams and Armed Forces are on standby 24/7.”